The Library provides books, magazines, journals, newspapers, CD-ROMs, videos, online databases, and other materials for your research needs. In addition to our collection, we offer one-on-one reference assistance and classes in research strategies and skills.

This Research Guide is designed to help you become familiar with some of the Respiratory Therapy resources available from the Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library. If you need assistance, please contact a librarian by phone at (305) 237-4087 or by email/chat.

In the conduct of professional activities the Respiratory Therapist shall be bound by the following ethical and professional principles. Respiratory Therapists shall:

Demonstrate behavior that reflects integrity, supports objectivity, and fosters trust in the profession and its professionals. Actively maintain and continually improve their professional competence, and represent it accurately.

Perform only those procedures or functions in which they are individually competent and which are within the scope of accepted and responsible practice.

Respect and protect the legal and personal rights of patients they care for, including the right to informed consent and refusal of treatment.

Divulge no confidential information regarding any patient or family unless disclosure is required for responsible performance of duty, or required by law.

Provide care without discrimination on any basis, with respect for the rights and dignity of all individuals.

Promote disease prevention and wellness.

Refuse to participate in illegal or unethical acts, and refuse to conceal illegal, unethical or incompetent acts of others.

Follow sound scientific procedures and ethical principles in research.

Comply with state or federal laws which govern and relate to their practice.

Avoid any form of conduct that creates a conflict of interest, and shall follow the principles of ethical business behavior.

Promote health care delivery through improvement of the access, efficacy, and cost of patient care.

Refrain from indiscriminate and unnecessary use of resources.

American Association for Respiratory Care, Statement of Ethics and Professional Conduct, March 2000.

Search the Library Catalog to find print books, ebooks and media, such as videos, CDs, CD-ROMs, and audio cassettes.

*Please note: Our electronic resources have restricted access and are only available to Miami Dade College students, faculty or staff with a current login. 

Most universities and colleges use the Library of Congress Classification System to organize their materials. Items are arranged A-Z, with each letter corresponding to a subject area. Most respiratory therapy materials are shelved in the following sections:

Following is a list of journals in Respiratory Therapy and related fields subscribed to by the Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus. By following the link, you can find the latest issue received by the library and other holding information.

AARCTimes American Association of Respiratory Care

American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (contact the Library for passwords for online access to fulltext articles)

Chest

Drug Topics

Heart and Lung (contact the Library for passwords for online access to fulltext articles)  

Journal of Allied Health (contact the Library for passwords for online access to fulltext articles)  

Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) (contact the Library for passwords for online access to fulltext articles)
 
New England Journal of Medicine (online access to fulltext articles is available only in the library)

Respiratory Care (contact the Library for passwords for online access to fulltext articles)

Following is a list of Respiratory Therapy journals available on the web. The Library does not currently subscribe to print copies of these journals.

ADVANCE for Respiratory Care Practitioners: selected fulltext from 1997-present.

FOCUS: Journal for Respiratory Care and Sleep Medicine: fulltext of current edition available.

RT: The Journal for Respiratory Care Practitioners: fulltext from June/July 2000-present.

Lancet: selected articles from June 1996-present are freely available from the publisher's website at http://www.thelancet.com. Fulltext from January 1991-present available via Academic Search Premier and Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition; fulltext from March 1990-present available via General Reference Center Gold, Health & Wellness Resource Center and InfoTrac OneFile.

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: fulltext from July 1989-present available via Health & Wellness Resource Center and InfoTrac OneFile; fulltext from July 1996-present available via Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition and Academic search Premier.

Miami Dade College's Libraries subscribe to a number of online databases that provide access to full text reference materials, such as medical dictionaries, and to periodicals, such as journals and magazines.

Please note: Our electronic resources have restricted access and are only available to MDC students, faculty or staff with a current login

Click here for descriptions of the health & medicine databases & tutorials on how to login & search them.

Click here to go to the login screen.

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) Net

What you will find: provides information on recent studies and tests on promising agents, devices, and/or management strategies to improve the care of patients with ARDS.

AIDS Info

What you will find: offers information on HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention, and research. Topics include a drug database, clinical trials, and vaccine research.

Air Quality: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

What you will find: provides information on sources of air pollution and programs involved in cleaning up the air, including the Clean Air Act.

American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology

What you will find: provides allergy and asthma statistics, current pollen and spore reports, an allergist referral directory, and allergy and asthma medication guides. It also has a section specifically geared toward children with asthma and allergies.

American Heart Association 2005 Guidelines for CPR and ECC

What you will find: provides a summary of changes and webcasts on the 2005 American Heart Association guidelines for CPR and ECC for 3 different populations: hospitals, EMS, and the community.

American Lung Association

What you will find: provides an interactive anatomy of the human respiratory system. It also provides information on asthma and allergies management, smoking cessation programs, a listing with detailed information of many different types of lung diseases, and offers information on treatment options.

Career Guidance Resources on the Internet

What you will find: scroll to the bottom of the page for links to the websites for Occupational Outlook Handbook, Florida Health Careers, Choices Planner and other related sites.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

What you will find: provides up-to-date information on many aspects of health care, including diseases and conditions, vaccines and immunizations, and emergency preparedness and response. It also includes a section with health statistics. Includes a section on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).  

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Emphysema

What you will find: provides background information and statistics on COPD and Emphysema, signs and symptoms, lab work, x-rays and other tests that assist in diagnosis, treatment options, complications and long term prognosis.

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

What you will find: provides a definition of cystic fibrosis along with recent research and clinical trials and patient information on how to live with cystic fibrosis. Includes a special section on airway clearance techniques and lung transplantation.

Florida Department of Health: Respiratory Therapy Board Overview

What you will find: provides the application and information on licensure, information on continuing education requirements, and Florida Statutes related to respiratory care.

Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body

What you will find: features 1,247 vibrant engravings—many in color—from the classic 1918 publication.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

What you will find: links to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance procedures.

Healthy People 2010

What you will find: a statement of national health objectives designed to identify the most significant preventable threats to health and to establish national goals to reduce these threats.  

Infections of the Respiratory Tract

What you will find: provides pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management information on infections of the respiratory tract. Also provides comprehensive information on a number of respiratory diseases, including pharyngitis, common cold, influenza, pneumonia, and tuberculosis.

Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations

What you will find: the United State's predominant standards-setting and accrediting body for health care organizations and programs.

Learn CPR

What you will find: provides illustrated guides on performing CPR on adults, children, infants, and pets. Video demonstration also provided.

MedlinePlus

What you will find: includes a Medical Encyclopedia, Medical Dictionary, Interactive Tutorials on common procedures and conditions, and Doctor and Dentist Directories.

MERCKSource Resource Library

What you will find: includes A.D.A.M. Health Illustrated Encyclopedia, Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, Merck Manuals, and the PDR Family Guide to Over-the-Counter Drugs. 

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

What you will find: provides health standards, regulations, and inspections to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths. There is a special section of respiratory protection.

Pneumonia

What you will find: provides information on signs and symptoms, causes, risk factors, screening and diagnosis, complications, treatment, and prevention.

Pulmonary Critical Care Medicine Tutorials

What you will find: provides the following tutorials: "All About Oxygen," "What is Acute Lung Injury?" "Intubation and Initiation of Mechanical Ventilation," "Why Do We Use PEEP?" "What is Mechanical Ventilation?" "Ventilation Strategy," and "Discontinuation of Mechanical Ventilation."

Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation

What you will find:  provides comprehensive information on the disease as well as information on recent research and links to support groups.

Pulmonary Tuberculosis

What you will find:  provides an overview of the disease as well as causes, risk factors, symptoms and signs, prevention, diagnosis and tests, treatments, prognosis, complications, support groups, and pictures and images.

Student Success Center (SSC), Medical Campus, Miami Dade College

What you will find:  provides a listing of computer based tutoring programs accessible from computers in the Medical Campus Library and in SSC. SSC also offers online and face-to-face tutoring services. For more information on any of these services or programs, contact SSC at (305) 237-4499.

Tracheal Intubation of the Newborn

What you will find: provides information on indications of when intubation of the newborn may be necessary, the procedures to perform the intubation, and drugs that may be necessary.

Ventworld

What you will find:  provides ventilator product and supplier information as well as education tools, such as case studies.

MDC Department of Respiratory Therapist

Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus
Department of Respiratory Therapist

950 NW 20th Street
Miami, FL 33127
(305) 237- 4141

The MDC Department of Respiratory Therapist offers an Associate of Science degree program. The program is a two-year course of study, requiring 76 credits.